Antigrounding device for boats



June 22, 1943. c. A. GOINS ANTIGROUNDING DEVICE FOR BOATS Filed April 19, 1941 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 A Home June 22, 1943. c, A. GOINS 2,322,628

ANTIGROUNDING DEVICE FOR BOATS Filed April 19, 1941 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Q N O I Inventor o e Allormly I Patented June 22, 1943 UNITED STATES PATENT QFFICE 2,322,628 ANTIGROUNDING DEVICE FOR BOATS Charles A. Goins, Tampa, Fla. Application April 19, 1941, Serial No. 339,440

3 Claims.

This invention relates to anti-grounding devices for boats, and has for the primary object the provision of a device of this character which may be easily and quickly brought into operative position for detecting or giving warning when the boat is in shoal or dangerous water and is especially useful on small boats where the latter are navigated in shoal and unchartered waters to give warning in suflicient time to prevent grounding of the boats.

With these and other objects in view as will become more apparent as the description proceeds, the invention consists in certain novel features of construction, combination and arrangement of parts as will be hereinafter more fully described and claimed.

For a complete understanding of my invention, reference is to be had to the following description and accompanying drawings, in which Figure 1 is a side elevation illustrating a small boat equipped with an anti-grounding device constructed in accordance with my invention.

Figure 2 is a bottom plan view illustrating a part of the device which is located upon the exterior of the boat.

Figure 3 is a diagrammatical view illustrating the complete device.

Referring in detail to the drawings, the numeral 5 indicates a small type boat in which the keel is indicated by the character 6 and on which may be mounted the present invention. The present invention may be mounted on some other part of the bottom of the boat.

A mounting plate 7 is provided with openings 8 to receive fasteners for securing said plate onto the keel or some other part of the exterior part of the bottom of the boat and integral with said plate are cylinders 9 and ID. The cylinder 9 encloses a spring influenced plunger I0, the stem of which is indicated by the character slidable in an end wall l2 of the cylinder 9. The spring of the plunger, indicated by the character i3, is interposed between an end wall of the cylinder 9 and the head of the plunger Ill. The cylinders 9 and ID are connected by a tubular housing l4 provided with an elongated slot I5. A ground engaging element It has one end pivoted to the stem ll of the plunger I0 within the housing l4 so that said ground engaging element may be moved into and out of said housing and when arranged outwardly of the housing assumes a position at right angles thereto depending a considerable distance below the lower edge of the keel of the boat.

The cylinder I 0 is to receive hydraulic pressure and has operable therein a piston H, the stem of which is indicated by the character I8 and is operable in the housing and is pivotally connected to an arm l9 operating in the slot l5 of the housing and pivotally connected to the ground engaging element, as shown at 2|]. The movement of the piston H in the cylinder H] in one direction will draw the ground engaging element within the housing and a movement of the piston in a reverse direction will extend the element It outwardly of the housing and at right angles there to. The plunger HI provides a yieldable support for the pivoted end of the ground engaging element.

Connected to the opposite ends of the hydraulic cylinder iii are pipes 2| and 22 which extend through suitable bushings in the bottom of the boat and are'connected to a four-way control valve 23 located in convenient reach of the operator. One of the ports of the valve 23 has a pipe 24 connected thereto and the latter is in turn connected to a pressure pump 25 of a conventional construction and has interposed therein a check valve 26. A fluid supply pipe 21 is connected to the pump 25 and is equipped with a check valve 28 and is connected to a fluid reservoir 29. The fluid reservoir 29 is connected to a port of the valve 23 by a pipe 30. Another port of the valve 23 has the pipe 22 connected thereto. A suitable pressure gauge 3| is connected into the pipe 2 I.

A spring type pressure operated circuit closer 32 of a conventional construction is connected to the pipe 2| by a pipe 33 and is connected in a circuit of an electric alarm (not shown). A bypass pipe 2|' connects the pipes 2| and 22 and has therein a suitable pressure bypass valve 22 normally closing the pipes 2|' and 22 to each other. However, should a pressure above a predetermined amount occur in the cylinder l0 caused by a dangerous overload on the ground engaging member Hi the valve 22 will automatically open and permit the pressure to lower by allowing the fluid to bypass between the pipes 2| and ground during the forward movement of the boat a sudden surge of the fluid in the pipe 2| is caused by a rearward movement of the piston ll indicating an increased pressure on the gauge besides creating suflicient pressure in the circuit closer 32 as to bring about closing of the circuit to the alarm. It is to be understood that the pressure sufiicient to move the piston I! to the right in Figure 3 to bring the ground engaging element into operative position is not sufiicient to actuate the circuit closer 32.

If the boat should run aground, forwardly, as

shown in Figure 1, that is, the ground engaging I element It run into the ground, said element may swing rearwardly, clockwise, as viewed in Figure 3, on the pivot connecting the same to the stem H. When the boat is backed, the ground. engaging element may swing counter-clockwise about said pivot back into operative position.

If the ground engaging element l6 should run into the ground when the boat is backed, the spring 53 will permit lmited yielding swinging of the element counter-clockwise, as viewed in Figures 1 and 3, to cushion such movement and obviate shock, jar and breakage of the parts.

To return the ground engaging element into the housing or inoperative position, the position of the valve 23 is reversed from that shown in Figure 3 so that fluid pressure may be pumped into the right hand end of the cylinder H] to force the piston I! to the left of Figure 3 drawing the ground engaging element within the housing l4. As the piston l1 moves to the left, the flow of fiuid in the cylinder l0 may return to the reservoir 9 by way of the pipe 2|, valve 23 and pipe 30. It is to be understood that the check valves 26 and 23 are so arranged that the pressure from the pump cannot return directly to the reservoir 29.

Further, it is to be understood that the construction of the cylinders 9 and i0 is such that access to the interior thereof may be readily had and also the cylinders may be detachably mounted on the plate I and may be streamlined to cut down water resistance.

While I have shown and described the preferred embodiment of my invention, it will be. understood that minor changesin construction, combination and arrangement of parts may be made without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention as claimed.

Having thus described the invention, what I claim is:

1. In an anti-grounding device, a mounting, a slotted housing on said mounting, a ground engaging element operative in opposite directions to move a part thereof into and out of said housing, a yieldable pivot on said mounting for said ground engaging element, a hydraulic cylinder on said mounting and connected to said housing, a piston operable in said cylinder, means for connecting said piston to the ground engaging element, and a hydraulic operating means connected to said cylinder and acting as a Warning medium.

2. In an anti-grounding device, a mounting, a slotted housing on said mounting, a ground engaging element operative in opposite directions to move a part thereof into and out of said housing, a yieldable pivot on said mounting for said ground engaging element, a hydraulic cylinder on said mounting and connected to said housing, a piston operable in said cylinder, means for connecting said piston to the ground engaging element, pipes connected to opposite ends of said cylinder, a four-way valve connected to said pipes, a fluid reservoir connected to said valve, a pump connected to said valve and to said reservoir, 2. pressure gauge interposed in one of said lines, means for connecting the valve to the reservoir, and a pressure actuated circuit closer connected to one of the first-named pipes.

3. In a device of the character described, a housing, a hydraulic cylinder connected to one end of said housing, a second cylinder connected to the other end of the housing, said housing having a slot, a spring influenced plunger operable in the second cylinder and extending into the housing, a ground engaging element pivoted to said plunger and operative to move a part thereof into and out of said housing by way of the slot, a piston in the hydraulic cylinder, means for connecting the piston to said ground engaging element, and hydraulic operating means connected to the hydraulic cylinder.

CHARLES A. GOINS. 

